National Parks: An Underrated Travel Destination
National Parks are a hidden vacation destination gem, a cost-efficient way to take a vacation by reconnecting with nature!
By: Ashley Duong
Last summer, my family tasked me with choosing a destination to travel to — within reasonable driving distance from our hometown in Connecticut. As daunting as this task was, with the responsibility of selecting a trip that appeased my parents and high-maintenance brother, it filled me with excitement. I realized it was the perfect opportunity to scratch something off my travel bucket list: visit a national park.
After some quick research, Acadia National Park in nearby Maine checked off all the boxes for my family and me. Even in the planning stage, this trip proved less stressful than our other vacations. I’m so used to booking flights, finding places to stay, buying tickets for activities, and stressing about the future impact on my bank account. But with Acadia, the only requirement was booking our hotel and bringing sufficient hiking shoes; even my high school running shoes worked fine!
Some highlights from our three-day itinerary included a stroll around Jordan Pond, a low-strenuous hike down Ocean Path, and a seafood dinner in Bar Harbor, Maine. While those were the notable places we visited, I’d argue that stopping at a random lookout, riding our bikes, getting lost on the trail, and simply driving through the park were my favorite parts of the trip. Reflecting on the drive back from Maine, I realized that the breathtaking sights we experienced would stay with me for the rest of my life.
I’ve been lucky enough to visit beautiful cities and towns with beautiful architecture and culture, but this national park traveling experience was vastly different and unique in its own way. Visiting a national park, where the main attraction is the natural beauty of the park itself, fulfilled my insatiable desire to see the world and all its beauties. On a material level, it was unbelievably cost-efficient compared to other travel destinations. But on a more important note about why people travel, it showed me how beautiful the world is. With every turn the trail took us, I was able to find something beautiful, and so could the generations of people visiting before and after me. A national park’s beauty transcends languages, ages, and cultures and is universally appreciated. While I’ve only visited one national park, I know that no matter how many I go to, I’ll feel an innate desire to visit more.